The Birch Gold Review that follows is prompted by the rise in the number of putting their retirement money into precious metals. The IRS makes it possible for those with 401k or IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts) to use the finances in the scheme to purchase precious metals like gold and silver. These types of precious metals are then deemed an integral part of the 401k or IRA investment fund.

It is worth noting that if your retirement strategy is a 401k , that means it is regulated by your employer ,and you may not be able to invest in gold or any other precious metals . Secondly, you may only be able to invest in a 401k scheme in precious metals if you are retired from the employment for which the scheme was established . These constraints do not apply to IRAs.

There has been a whole lot of interest in converting IRA or 401k assets into precious metals , and this has impelled several precious metal dealers to actively concentrate on those with 401k or IRA schemes in their advertising efforts . Since thesedealers are eager to sell their products , those people who do respond to the dealers need to ensure that they are dealing with a reputable company.

The internet makes it much more convenient for consumers to evaluate any company trading in the US. Those who are looking at shifting all or part of their 401k or IRA resources into precious metals should take advantage of this resource before committing themselves to any transactions.

Birch Gold Group is just one of several firms providing expert services to people who want to use 401k or IRA funds to invest in gold and silver or other precious metals. The company, based in California, has established a solid reputation, and it looks like they could be a good option for people who would like to transfer their retirement plans to precious metals.

The BBB

A good place to start out with is with the BBB (Better Business Bureau). The BBB monitors businesses to make certain they are adhering to the Bureau’s mission statements. Trust and integrity are vital factors, and they are essential in relation to financial dealings. Our Birch Gold Review learned that the company has an A+ ranking with the BBB. This is the highest rating that the BBB awards, so that is a positive point.

The BCA

As part of our evaluation, we checked out the company’s rating on the BCA (Business Consumer Alliance). The BCA monitors complaints against companies through very sophisticated computer software. As with the BBB, grades or ratings are awarded to organizations, and, once again, Birch Gold Group has achieved the highest rating possible from the BCA, namely AAA.

Aditionally, it should be pointed out that there are no complaints registered against Birch Gold Group on the BCA site. That does not mean that everyone is satisfied. As we will learn later in this analysis, not everyone is pleased with the way the business performs, and it would seem that some people merely did not take the time to report any issue to the BCA.

We looked over the company’s ranking on some review sites. On TrustLink, the organization gets a 5-star rating, but has only 29 reviews. TrustLink was created by the BBB to give investors a way to share their experiences, both positive and negative, with companies.

An internet search will reveal that there are some very serious question marks about this particular organization. There are various complaints about the company’s unwillingness to provide information regarding its make-up. The company’s website has hardly any details about the business, apart from basic contact information.

There is no background information on the directors or management, and there is nothing concerning the history of the company. This is at odds with most dependable businesses, who supply a lot of corporate details for the public.

Questionable Sales Techniques

Several online complaints about the company have to do with the manner in which it sells gold. Those on the lookout for 401k or IRA investment opportunities are typically advised to invest in gold bullion. Yet, several investors have complained that Birch Gold Group tries to sell them collectible gold or silver items, such as coins, and that the firm charges a lot more than the market price for these goods. Complainants claim that the prices they were quoted were up to 30% above market price.

There are also complaints that the company is more like a telemarketing operation than an investment advisor. People point out that company representatives appear to be reading from prepared scripts, and therefore are unable to satisfactorily address topics that may not be covered by those scripts.

Regal Assets gets an A+ rating from the BBB, and an AAA rating from the BCA, so that appears to put them on an equal footing. However, an essential issue that must be taken into consideration when making this type of comparison is the length of time the company has been on the market, and the length of time its activities have been monitored by the BBB, the BCA and others.

Regal Assets has been in operation since 2003, while Birch Gold was only created in 2011. That means that Regal Assets have managed to obtain their ratings while having dealt with far more customers over a much longer time span. Consequently, their top rankings with the BBB and the BCA have a lot more weight than the same scores for Birch Gold.

Regal Assets has been reviewed more than 335 times on TrustLink and has a 5-star rating. That equals over 11 times more reviewers than Birch Gold has. With a far higher volume of customers, Regal Assets has a 99.9% customer satisfaction rating, and a much lower complaints profile on the web.

Those statistics, coupled with the greater longevity of the business, make Regal Assets our preferred alternative.

Disclosure: Always do your own research before making any investment decision. The owners of this website may be paid to recommend Regal Assets or other companies. The content on this website, including any positive reviews of Regal Assets and other reviews, may not be neutral or independent.